TechLife Columbus

Increasing customers, revenues and reach using multi-brand strategies

2009-12-08T12:59:00.000-05:00

Source: ZNode Weblog

In the worst US recession since the great depression, one toy company kept significantly increasing it's revenues over 3 consecutive Decembers. The company is Toys"R"Us.

In a recent interview with the media, CEO Gerald Storch talked about their aggressive acquisition strategy. This year Toys"R"Us acquired Etoys.com, KbToys.com, Toys.com, Epregnancy.com, BabyUniverse.com, FAO Shwarz among others. The result - Toys"R"Us was able to not only survive but beat it's competition by offering the largest assortment of toys to its customers. Competitors such as Walmart may offer heavily discounted pricing, but no one can beat the enormous selection of in-stock toys offered by Toys"R"Us.

At Znode, we are seeing that many of our customers are adopting similar strategies to rise above the noise and compete effectively. That is why we are experiencing a significant demand for our multi-store platform - Multifront. Our customers use Multifront to launch storefronts for each of their brand acquisitions rapidly. Best of all, these stores are all managed through a single administrative interface enabling marketing departments to have full control over promotions and pricing.

Znode's Viewpoint product complements Multifront by allowing online retailers to create and embed portable stores on third party websites and create an effective guided navigation system enabling their customers to find the right product FAST. This significantly increases brand presence and sales conversions.

Open position(s) - Safelite - Financial Media Analyst, SQL DBA, QA, .Net developer

2009-12-08T12:53:00.003-05:00

Interested candidates should send resumes to careers@safelite.com with position name in subject line.

Financial / Media Analyst:

Safelite is recruiting for a financial / media analyst. This is a new role that will partner with the finance and marketing teams. Looking for someone who is skilled in financial analysis, data modeling, and data extraction. Analysis is around the impact media advertising has on the business locally, nationally, and globally. This person will partner and communicate with the Belron global operations in order to identify best practices. Strong communication skills, and PC skills (Access, Excel, running queries) are necessary.

SQL DBA:

http://seeker.dice.com/jobsearch/servlet/JobSearch?op=302&dockey=xml/f/c/fc225ae1bf8b7d843cdd9f105e5df001@endecaindex&source=19&FREE_TEXT=safelite&rating=99

QA:

The Quality Assurance (QA) Analyst will work within the Safelite IT and business community to ensure systems delivered meet specified quality standards. The Software Quality Assurance Analyst will be a Safelite expert on testing processes and tools and will be responsible for creation and validation of test plans and test cases for both new and existing applications. A solid business and functional understanding of the system(s) under test is required, as is a general background in software quality assurance methodologies, software testing best practices, and performance and automated testing tools.

Responsibilities

* Execute test planning and test execution activities for work efforts.
* Utilize industry accepted tools to create and execute automated and performance/load tests.
* Facilitate the creation of and maintain an end-to-end, integrated test environment; includes configuring workstations and other testing equipment.
* Gather and present project testing status, including execution status and defect summary reports.
* Facilitate and lead group of business users for User Acceptance Testing (UAT)
* Define and continuously improve project level quality assurance policies, procedures, tasks and deliverables.
* Serve as technical mentor to other IT and business associates that have responsibility for testing.
* Investigate new innovative techniques and tools and recommend improvements to the performance management process and toolset.

Qualifications

* Bachelor's degree in MIS/CIS, Computer Science, or related field (required)
* 5+ years experience in MIS/IT
* Experience with testing methodologies and QA best practices
* Experience with the Mercury toolset or other automated testing and test management tools.
* Software QA certifications a plus (CSQA, etc)
* Experience in IT systems development lifecycles
* Ability to facilitate communications between and among highly experienced business and IT associates
* Excellent analytical skills with a basic knowledge of IT Architecture
* Leadership skills including the ability to mentor and lead groups of testers
* Excellent written and verbal communications skills
* Detail oriented with excellent analytical skills
* Good interpersonal skills with a strong team orientation.
* Ability to translate business needs into requirements

.NET:

Safelite AutoGlass, a member of the Belron US family of retail auto glass companies, is the nation's leading provider of auto glass repair and replacement services. As our company continues to experience growth and development, we are searching for people with the skills and passion for success to help us reach our goal becoming the natural choice for vehicle glass repair and replacement services in the United States. Take a look * we think you*ll like what you see!

This mid-level software developer position assists in the development, testing, and implementation of application code to specifications and architectures provided by application designs and user requirements. The developer executes job functions based on specific research, development, and coding assignments, contributes to application design sessions, documents application implementations, and assists in the development and execution of unit, functional, and performance scripts.

Expertise in working on Enterprise level development initiatives (team projects) using:

* .NET 2.0 / 3.5 Framework

* C#, XML, SQL

* ASP.NET

* Web Services development & WCF experience

* VS2008 / VSS expertise

* SQL Server 2005 Environments

* Stored Procedure development

Requirements:

* Degree in Computer Science, MIS, or equivalent

* 5+ years experience in software development team environment

Familiarity with:

* IIS 6 and above expertise is a plus,

* familiarity with SSL Certificates (Client/Server) is a plus

* Windows Services development

* MQ integration experience

Saturday night, Salvation Army, Blue Jackets 50/50 Raffle!

2009-12-08T12:39:00.001-05:00

As you have probably heard, donations to The Salvation Army (and other charitable organizations) are slower than they have been in the past during this time of increased need among Columbus area residents. To help with fund raising, the Salvation Army is holding a 50/50 raffle this Saturday night at the Blue Jackets game and I thought you or someone you know might be interested in lending a hand. Cathy Bell (friend) is the Salvation Army's volunteer coordinator for this effort, so feel free to contact her at the e-mail listed below if you are interested. Also, feel free to send to e-mail on to your staff, family, friends, network of associates, club members or any group or person you think may be interested. Let me know if you have any questions and I will try to answer them. If you lucky enough to be attending the game, please try to participate if at all possible. Thanks. Marty

************************************************************

Thank you for volunteering with The Salvation Army to participate in the Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation 50/50 Raffle program. This program will raise thousands of dollars for The Salvation Army thanks to your valuable volunteer time. We have extra volunteer openings. If you have any family or friends who can join us Saturday night, please let me know!
Cathy Bell

Volunteer Information – 50/50 Raffle, The Salvation Army – Blue Jackets Game -December 12, 2009

DATE: Saturday, December 12, 2009

TIME: Arrive no later than 4:45PM, orientation & training begins promptly at 5:00PM.
Sellers released after first period (est 8:15PM, counters end of second period (est 9:00PM).

WHERE: Enter Nationwide Arena by the John H. McConnell Street Entrance, you will be signed in.

PARKING: Parking is available in the Nationwide Arena Garage located on the corner of Front Street and Nationwide Blvd for a special rate of $3.00 for 50/50
Volunteers. Please let the parking attendant know you are on the volunteer list to get this rate.

WHAT TO WEAR/BRING: Please wear comfortable clothes and shoes. A 50/50 Raffle apron will be issued . No hats or clothing that contain logos of NHL teams, except the Blue Jackets. There will be a volunteer area to store coats.

WHAT WILL I BE DOING: Volunteers will be assigned to various tasks; the majority of volunteers will sell raffle tickets in designated areas of Nationwide Arena concourses. Some volunteers will count cash and serve as bookkeepers and some will separate tickets (Count Room is in an isolated, secure location in Nationwide Area, the game is NOT visible from this room).

WILL I BE ABLE TO STAY AND WATCH THE GAME? No, game tickets will not be provided to volunteers.

VOLUNTEER CONTACT: Cathy Bell at dublintaximama@aol.com

THANK YOU AGAIN FOR VOLUNTEERING.
Cathy Bell

Tech Across Ohio - Youngstown, Ohio Named One of the 10 Best U.S. Cities for Entrepreneurs

2009-12-08T06:01:00.001-05:00

Source: blog.Ohiomeansbusiness.com

In a recent article on the ten most “start-up friendly” cities in the U.S., Entrepreneur Magazine names Orlando, Portland, Atlanta – and Youngstown, Ohio. In other words, Youngstown is considered to have one of the best entrepreneurial spirits in the country. In the latter part of the 20th century, this was not exactly the case. Business in Youngstown had hit several bumps in the road after a number of layoffs from area manufacturing plants. However, over the last decade, something special happened in this Northeast Ohio city. It is now filled with an openness and energy that permeates the whole culture.

Proof of this energy is Mike Broderick’s Youngstown-based Turning Technologies, which is one of the seven fastest growing tech companies in the country. The 134-employee Turning Technologies, which Mike launched in 2001, makes audience response systems used in college lectures, corporate events and even game shows. “I’ve found Youngstown to be a brilliant place for a startup,” says Mike. He attributes the pace at which the company grew to its low cost location. Youngstown’s lower-than-average rent and taxes mean dollars stretch further than they would in Silicon Valley.

Another example of Youngstown’s entrepreneurial energy is Jim Cossler, owner of Youngstown Business Incubator, which offers mentors to fledgling B2B software companies. The company also provides networking and services like office space and bandwidth for free or at a deferred cost. The incubator concept was revolutionary enough to help ignite a renaissance in Youngstown. Cossler says, “The new generation is envisioning things we wouldn’t have talked about 10 years ago.” He points to the work of the area’s dynamic congressman and energetic young mayor as examples. Cossler says, “There’s a radical transformation going on here right now.”

Click here to read the full article on from Entrepreneur Magazine.

Demystifying Cloud Computing Seminar - Dec 17

2009-12-08T05:57:00.002-05:00

The challenge and complexity of datacenter sprawl is the fuel driving the rise of virtualization over the past ten years and the current buzz about cloud computing. Cloud computing is a new style of computing that makes IT infrastructure available as a ubiquitous, easily accessible, and reliable utility service. Please join VMware, Dell & DLP Technologies for a free, informative breakfast briefing sure to assist your future infrastructure deployment strategy development.

Where: OSU – The Fawcett Center; 2400 Olentangy River Road, Columbus, OH 43210

When: Thursday, Dec 17, 2009 from 8-11am (Breakfast Included)

Register: http://bit.ly/69sfia

Tech Review - Agile Code Reviews with Jupiter

2009-12-08T05:56:00.000-05:00

Source: Christopher Grant

Code reviews are a valuable part of any software development effort. Agile development processes provide the opportunity to integrate reviews closer to the actual development .

Jupiter

Jupiter is a plugin for the eclipse platform that enables developers to communicate over specific lines of code. The plugin comes with a suggested process for code reviews. The process suggests a three phase approach starting with inspecting the code and logging review items. A quick demo of this process can be viewed here. When a section of code raises quality concerns, the reviewer notes the issue in Jupiter for later discussion. Once the initial review is completed, the process moves into the second phase which is to discuss the items that were identified. As each item is approved for rework it is updated and assigned to a developer. In the third phase, the developer works through the list of issues that were assigned to him. This process can be used in agile code reviews as well.

Agile

A quick review of the agile development cycle. Code is developed in time boxed chunks called sprints, or iterations. One or more iterations of code are sent to production at regular intervals. We’ll call this the release. For this discussion our release will contain two iterations. In each iteration a developer works multiple story cards to completion then hands it off for various sign-offs.

Agile Jupiter

To integrate code reviews into the process we need to add a step to the story card process. When a developer has completed work, he passes the code to a reviewer.

Individual Review

This reviewer picks up the standard code review process, discussed earlier, starting with the identification of quality concerns. When this individual review is complete the results are passed back to the developer for discussion.

Team Review

In this second phase, the developer walks through the list with the reviewer to understand what the concerns. The two discuss and agree on which items need to be corrected before the story can be signed off.

Rework

Once the list has been discussed and review items have been approved for rework, the developer moves into phase three, to rework the issues found.

Code Review Cleanup

Each code review will generate a series of files that are used by the Jupiter system. A file is created for each developer in each review. Given that a single iteration will contain multiple stories, the result is a handful of files that would need to be managed.
In each review there may be review concerns which will be deferred to a later point. To manage these concerns it is suggested that those issues be moved to a master list or logged as stories for future work.
It is suggested that these code review files be closed down and cleaned up before starting the next release. To close out the code reviews for a release, all outstanding review items should be moved to a consolidated location. What remains are Jupiter files with closed out review items. At this point all Jupiter files can be removed and the review process can be prepped for the next release.
This should be completed after cutting the release. This leaves all review files available to be included in version control system for use in future audits.

Adding a second set of eyes to a coding effort can not only improve code quality but also enhance knowledge transfer within a team. Integrating a code review process into your agile environment can enable those discussions and improve application quality.

The DEC is more than an office – it’s a family.

2009-12-06T22:23:00.005-05:00

The Dublin Entrepreneurial Center (DEC) offers a variety of advantages for startup businesses. One of the main perks gained by associating with the DEC either virtually or in person, is the family-like support network. “People work together and try to help each other out here,” says Mark Devincent Founder of The Sierra Project Ltd., and a tenant of the DEC.

Entrepreneurship can pose many challenges to business owners. The DEC provides helpful resources to deal with these challenges through a close-knit support system. “Entrepreneurship cannot be accomplished alone. Business leaders need to rely on other people, whether it’s a colleague, a mentor or family member in order to succeed,” says Kevin Gadd, Director of IT Commercialization for TechColumbus.

“It’s great for me to have a collaborative office environment to come to – the vibe is energetic and intense, kind of like a “techy” beehive,” says Crystal Olig of Oxiem Marketing Technology. Crystal also identifies with her niche of business startups – women in entrepreneurship. “I look for smart, original and innovative women in business to add to my personal network of advisors, and there are several at the DEC who inspire me.”

Sandy Blanquera, Founder of Social Boomerang, remarks about the synergy at the DEC, “Working in the corporate world never felt this good. Now, when I come to work, I feel so lucky to be here. I’m working beside a cluster of smart, capable, out-of-the-box kind of people who are changing the world around us.”

“Entrepreneurs work hard and put in many hours. Being at the DEC makes working more fun. Today, a group of us are taking an hour off at lunch to go ice skating at the Chiller a mile away. After skating, we will enjoy free lunch courtesy of a DEC tenant and Chipotle. We hope to continue these kinds of activities to grow our relationships ,” Sandy adds.

Later this month, a gift exchange and a special holiday themed co-working event are on the calendar for tenants and the virtual community. “It’s events like these that truly make the office feel like a family,” says Chaz Freutel, owner of Get-U-Connected.

Associating with the DEC means more than picking an office space – it’s about picking a supporting family to grow your business with. Thanks for reading!

-Kevin Uland

5 startups recently demoed at SF New Tech

2009-12-06T22:16:00.002-05:00

Here's a few startups who recently demoed at SF New Tech. Seems to me that we've got startups in Central Ohio that rival what's happening in SF.

David Spark Spark Media Solutions & David Lucatch CEO of Intertainment Media & Itibiti Systems

ItiBiti is a white-labeled desktop content and communications app that drives greater engagement between brands and consumers.

Michael Slater CEO

Webvanta is a hosted content management and database system that enable web designers to build sites that their clients can edit easily. It supports structured data without custom programming making it far more powerful than simple blog/CMS systems.

Bobby Fishkin CEO

Reframe It is a simple way for readers to comment on the text they read online and an embedded tool for publishers to add interactivity sharing and user discussions to their online content. It allows readers to comment on the exact words and images of any web page and gives publishers a hyper-specific commenting tool that spreads discussions across multiple social networks and platforms.

Duncan Logan CEO

NationalBLS is the first national listing service of pre-approved residential real estate buyers -- a marketplace where buyers anonymously post their requirements to the web and receive offers from eager sellers. It's real estate in reverse.

Sarah Chapman Founder & President

Smedule.com is a web application that helps customers find businesses based on their availability. In real-time users are able to search and book appointments for personal services by price location time and rating.

Asian Tech X-Mas Party! - Thurs Dec 17 @ Taste of Bali

2009-12-06T20:54:00.002-05:00

Click here to register and for more info: http://bit.ly/4RhYD4

Hey guys hope you're all keeping warm out there!

Our next monthly Asian Tech meeting will be our annual Christmas Party hosted at the fantastic Taste of Bali. If you've never been there before, it's a great restaurant with great food and good times.

The event starts at 6:00pm and will end at 8:00pm. Come enjoy the food and get to know one another. All members new and old welcome! If you're new to the group, this is a perfect opportunity to get to know others in the group better. It will be a wonderful atmosphere and surely lead to many good conversations.

Bring a friend! Guests are more than welcome!

Dinner is only $10. You can pay at the door in cash.

Register early to save yourselves a seat! Spots are limited and in high demand to what are you waiting for? We'll see you there!

http://www.tasteofbaliohio.com/welcome.htm

Introducing DLP Technologies

2009-12-06T20:42:00.003-05:00

A big shout out to our new sponsor DLP Technologies.

Here a brief intro to DLP Technologies by Jon Breyfogle

DLP Technologies has been operating in Cincinnati since 1982, delivering network infrastructure solutions to small and mid-market companies. We opened our Columbus office in Sep of ’08 and our roster of satisfied clients includes Bartlett and Co, Skyline Chili, Home City Ice and American Red Cross, just to name a few in Cincinnati, and Licking County, Mount Vernon Nazarene University and Ohio Police and Fire Pension among those in Central Ohio. What has set us apart as a valued resource to our clients is our commitment to technical and customer service excellence. You can learn more about us at www.dlptech.com.

More specifically, we offer as a Value Added Reseller a full complement of network infrastructure solutions including servers, iSCSI SAN and other network storage systems, server and desktop virtualization solutions, data lifecycle management tools (backup, archive, deduplication, etc), anti-malware/security solutions and physical network components (route/switch, UPS/cooling, racks/cable management). We represent Microsoft, HP (including ProCurve), Dell (including EqualLogic), VMware, Citrix, CommVault, Symantec, Barracuda, Fortinet, APC, Liebert and Panduit among others. Our professional services focus on the Microsoft server suite, iSCSI SAN storage, virtualization and security (short of deep, forensic security where we turn to strategic partners).

2009 Innovation Awards - Green Innovation Semifinalists

2009-12-03T22:26:00.002-05:00

Barry L. McGraw	Battelle	www.battelle.org
Ross O. Youngs	Algaeventure Systems	www.algaevs.com
Battelle Green Deicing Team	Battelle	www.battelle.org
Terry Emery, Grant Reveal	City of Gahanna	www.gahanna.gov
Connie Chwan	Possitivity	www.possitivitygreen.com
Timothy C. Granata	Granata Ecological Engineering
Jan Michalek	Estech USA LLC	www.estechusallc.com
Amy Klaben	Columbus Housing Partnership, Inc.	www.homeportcolumbus.com
Bill Dawson	Franklin Park Conservatory	www.fpconservatory.org/g2gabout.htm
Chris Irion and Tonia Irion	e-Cycle, Inc.	www.e-cycle.com
Richard Sapienza	METSS Corporation	www.metss.com
Yebo Li	The Ohio State University
William C. Snedegar	Heartland Refinery Group, LLC	www.heartland-petroleum.com

Third Frontier Readiness Workshop - Dec 15

2009-12-03T12:42:00.001-05:00

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Third Frontier RFP Readiness Workshop

December 15 | 11:30am - 1:45pm | Columbus

December 15

11:30am - 1:45pm

TechColumbus

1275 Kinnear Rd.

$15 for BioOhio members

$25 for non-members

Register Today

The Ohio Third Frontier will issue a Request for Proposals (RFP) in December for Biomedical Program Grants. Once the RFP issues, you will have only a short time to write your proposal... Are you ready?

BioOhio is here to help! We're bringing in BioOhio-member Bill Timmons of CGK Consultants to review:

How the Third Frontier Biomedical Cluster Program works
Key techniques for writing a winning Third Frontier proposal
How to determine if you have a winning technology
Important changes from last year

A pizza and salad lunch will be served.

$15 for BioOhio Members; $25 for non-members

To register:

https://www.123signup.com/register?id=jnvqm

William (Bill) Timmons, Ph.D., founder of CGK Consultants, LLC, has over 25 years experience in technology innovation and development. His team has helped raise more than $100 million in grants for their clients, with a federal success rate more than twice the national average, and a Third Frontier success rate over 50%.

Donate $30 - Help end Global Poverty - Get cool new Seth Gobin book

2009-12-03T06:27:00.006-05:00

Donate $30 = Support Acumen Fund ending global poverty + Get free copy of Seth Godin's new book - http://bit.ly/77HNks

thanks El Biddulph and Luke Barbara for the tip

Shout out to the Andi and team at eEvent.com for winning the ITMartini Peoples Choice Award last night

2009-12-03T06:20:00.004-05:00

Click here to learn more - http://bit.ly/5AK4MI

eEvent transforms chaos into control.

It is created and designed to be the most powerful yet easy-to-use integrated web and mobile based solution to manage multi-committee events.

Most existing event planning softwares do a good job in helping planners managing certain functions of their events. Some are better and more popular than the others. However, when it comes to solving complex problems of managing all facets of an event from beginning to end; prior, during and after the event, especially for events that require careful collaboration between multiple organizing committees; like Asian Festival, Arnold Classic and Ohio State Fair, eEvent is the solution. eEvent is here so that organizers can be rest assured that they team up with the company who had not only seized the opportunity to be the first, but also to be the best in delivering easy-to-use integrated web and mobile solutions for complex events with multiple committees.

Using centralized web based solutions, eEvent allows multiple organizing committees to successfully collaborate and manage all efforts; before, during and after the event. It utilizes commonly used QR code to bridge the online and offline world. Thus, allowing event organizers and other constituents to use mobile phones for instant access of information as well as communication. eEvent was built based on real life experiences of seasoned planners; who had successfully organized big events with complicated management and organizational functionalities, combined with experienced web leaders; who had successfully implemented web and mobile based applications.

2009 Innovation Awards Semifinalists - Inventor of The Year

2009-12-03T06:12:00.003-05:00

Congrats to the Inventor of the year semifinalists.

Thomas E. Lach	Deca-Medics, Inc.	www.deca-medics.com
James A. Baron	J. Baron Enterprises, LLC	www.jbaronent.com
Mark E. Peeples	The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital
Matthew J. During	The Ohio State University
Joseph Heremans	The Ohio State University	www.mecheng.osu.edu/people/joseph-heremans
Jeffrey Chalmers	The Ohio State University	www.chbmeng.ohio-state.edu/people/chalmers.html
Ross O. Youngs	Algaeventure Systems	www.algaevs.com
John Novak	EnviroWave Energy, LLC	www.envirowave.com
Ali Keyhani	The Ohio State University	www.ece.osu.edu/~keyhani/
Jessica Winter	The Ohio State University	www.chbmeng.ohio-state.edu/~winter/
David Woods and Alexander Morison	The Ohio State University	csel.eng.ohio-state.edu/woods/
C. A. Tony Buffington	The Ohio State University
John Lannutti	Nanofiber Solutions
Charles E. Campbell	Allen Hydro Energy Corporation	www.wbsinccd.tripod.com/ahec/
Kelly Kelleher	Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Lou Busick	Frut LLC	www.sideswipeblade.com/
David A. Young	Weather Planner International, Ltd.

Fast Switch Announces Innovative and Unique Community Outreach Initiative for Next Decade: “10:10:10K”

2009-12-03T06:07:00.003-05:00

Fast Switch, Ltd. announces a unique and powerful community outreach program designed to generate 10,000 high tech, high paying, clean, green jobs in the markets it serves over the next decade.
Dublin, OH (PRWEB) December 2, 2009 -- Fast Switch, Ltd., a leading provider of Information Technology (IT) Consulting and Professional Services, today announced its plan for community outreach for the next decade. Called “10:10:10K”, the set of initiatives is designed to formally begin in 2010 and generate a minimum of 10,000 new, high-paying, technology-related jobs in the markets Fast Switch serves now, or will serve during the next decade: 10,000 jobs in 10 years starting in ’10.

The "10:10:10K" Community Outreach Initiative

While we will certainly continue to write checks for charitable giving and community outreach, we looked for ways to have a much greater impact than this … exponential impact rather than linear impact. - Mark Pukita, Chief Operating Officer

Taking a “rising tide lifts all ships” approach, Fast Switch is confident that this effort will help raise the standard of living for everyone in its market communities. This does not mean that Fast Switch will grow to employ 10,000 team members, but rather that Fast Switch’s initiatives under the 10:10:10K plan will help facilitate high-tech job growth at this level in Fast Switch’s market communities. The plan, the second generation of community outreach programs for Fast Switch, was the result of work done by the Fast Switch team to find a way to have a greater impact in the community than a typical $20M company might have through traditional charitable giving. Using the same “out of the box” thinking and creativity Fast Switch team members use every day to exceed client expectations, the plan turns a normal charitable giving program upside down and inside out.
Mark Pukita, Fast Switch’s Chief Operating Officer, comments on the plan:
“We took an approach to building this community outreach plan that started with a clean sheet of paper just like we do when we build custom solutions for the IT Services needs of our clients. We asked ourselves how we could have a greater impact on the community, leveraging our time, talents, and treasure, than the normal ‘check writing’ charitable giving approach. While we will certainly continue to write checks for charitable giving and community outreach, we looked for ways to have a much greater impact than this … exponential impact rather than linear impact. Many of the programs for this initiative are already designed and implemented on a smaller scale somewhere in our markets served, or soon will be. We will now focus on taking these programs and growing them rapidly to accomplish the goal of 10:10:10K. We’re excited about ramping these up to deliver on our dream to make 10:10:10K a reality.”
The key to the plan is leveraging the talents and capabilities of Fast Switch and its team members to do much, much more than simply donate to charities or community-centered organizations. This leverage includes, but is not limited to:
1) Investing in technology start-ups that have the potential to grow rapidly and employ hundreds or even thousands in the 10-year window.
2) Collaborating and teaming with clients, educational institutions, and community-based organizations to “manufacture” high-tech workers with candidates of financial need and of a diverse background who would not otherwise join the high-tech workforce.
3) Implementing unique solutions to clients’ IT Consulting and Professional Services needs that directly compete with offshore solutions keeping high-tech jobs in the US and possibly repatriating offshore jobs, bringing them back to the US. This solution would include an effort to actively recruit for US Armed Forces veterans and active duty service people to participate.
4) Expanding programs to make technology career paths attractive to new workers entering the work force.
5) Holding events that bring technology entrepreneurs, corporate technology users, and technology investors together to increase the flow of funding and capital into local technology start-ups.
6) Helping startups get access to large corporate buyers to help “boot strap” startups with revenue sources rather than only debt or investment capital.
7) Providing non-profit organizations technology support at cost or below.
8) Starting the Fast Switch Foundation to build a permanent funding source for community-focused initiatives.
Fast Switch will also continue its direct giving to charitable organizations just as it traditionally has.
While the formal development of this plan has just been completed, Fast Switch has been doing pieces of many of these leverage initiatives since just after the turn of the century. The intent of the plan is to take these leverage initiatives and kick them up to a higher level of growth and public awareness. More details on these operating initiatives can be found on the news page of the Fast Switch web site.
Currently, Fast Switch has two markets that it serves, Columbus, Ohio and Detroit, Michigan. The Fast Switch team feels confident that these two markets alone can see high-tech job growth of 2,500 each over this time period. The remainder of the growth will come from developing Fast Switch’s business in new metropolitan markets.
Fast Switch kicked off the plan early, already having invested in two technology start-ups in Columbus: Znode Inc. and Kidslinked.com.
Znode’s mission is to improve all aspects of online commerce: store development, sales analytics, and the shopper experience. This is accomplished by creating highly adaptable software that’s easier to implement and support, provides better back-end data, and works intuitively for the online shopper.
Kidslinked.com’s founders saw a need for an Internet portal that provided parents with family management tools at their fingertips. This realization led to the creation of KidsLinked.com – a one-of-a-kind resource for parents and child-care givers to discover safe and fun learning opportunities for their children.
Fast Switch, Ltd. is one of Central Ohio’s fastest growing privately-held companies according to Columbus Business First. Fast Switch was formed in December of 1996 and currently has over 180 employees working in almost half the states in the US. Revenues for 2008 exceeded $16 million. Its client base includes 2 of the Fortune 10, 4 of the Fortune 20, 22 of the Fortune 500, and 25 of the Fortune 1,000. It has two major offices in Dublin, Ohio and Wixom, Michigan. Fast Switch expects to open new offices in Cincinnati, Chicago, Cleveland, and Minneapolis-St. Paul during 2010.
To view Mark Pukita’s video explanation of the 10:10:10K initiative, please go to:
http://www.fastswitch.com/101010K.htm
Fast Switch’s web address is: http://www.fastswitch.com
For more information on the 10:10:10K Plan, or on Fast Switch, please contact:
Mark Pukita, Chief Operating Officer, 614-336-3690,
Fast Switch, Ltd.
37 W. Bridge Street
Suite 200
Dublin, OH 43017
USA

5 sites to check out - Gifts for your Geek

2009-12-02T06:31:00.003-05:00

Here's a couple of sites to check out to find that holiday gift for the special geek in your life

ThinkGeek
15 Great Gifts for Geeks
OddBall Gifts for Uber Geeks
Tech Geek - science toys, gadgets and cool gifts | Edmund Scientific
Amazon.com: Unique geek gifts for the special nerd in your life

2009 Innovation Awards - Exec of the Year Semifinalists - <50 employees

2009-12-02T06:15:00.002-05:00

Over the next several days we'll be publishing this year's Innovation Awards semifinalists - congratulations to the incredible entrepreneurs and innovators in our community!!

Congrats to this years semifinalists Exec of the Year <50 employees

Alan Arman	3X Systems	www.3x.com
Raymond Bohac	CallCopy	www.callcopy.com
Andrew Mansinne	DOmedia, LLC	www.domedia.com
Chris Irion	e-Cycle, Inc.	www.ecycle.com
Scott Sanders	GRIP Technology	www.griptechnology.com
John Hrusovsky	GroundWork group	www.groundworkgroup.org
R.C. Wheeless	InsightETE Corporation	www.insightete.com
Simon Kapenda	Kapenda Media Group, Inc.	www.kapendamediagroup.com
Wayne Poll, MD	Minimally Invasive Devices, LLC	www.midsurgical.com/team.html
Dave Schoettmer	Navigator Management Partners	www.navmp.com
David C. Bupp	Neoprobe Corporation	www.neoprobe.com
Adel A. Mikhail	Phylogeny	www.phylogenyinc.com
Larry Chaffin	Pluto Networks	www.pluto-networks.net
Jeff Spitzner	Rescentris, Inc.	www.rescentris.com
James Paat	Sypherlink	www.sypherlink.com
Rick Karr	Vertebration, Inc.	www.vertebration.com
Jason Clayton	Vital Film Works	www.vitalfilmworks.com
Brian Pitzer	Vitality Distributing	www.avitae45.com
Bill Balderaz	Webbed Marketing	www.webbedmarketing.com
Bob Mahaffey	Xcelerate Media, Inc.	www.xceleratemedia.com

Telamon, Touch Bionics win grants for expansion

2009-12-01T11:32:00.000-05:00

Source: Business First

State officials have signed off on $50,000 in grants headed to companies looking to expand in Central Ohio and add a combined 58 jobs.
The state Controlling Board approved $25,000 Rapid Outreach Grants for:
• Telamon Corp., an information technology contractor for the telecommunications industry. The Carmel, Ind.-based company is looking to buy new machinery and equipment for a $195,000 expansion in Columbus expected to add 38 full-time jobs.
• Touch Bionics Inc., a Scottish developer of bionic prosthetics and medical devices. The state grant will go toward a $230,000 expansion in Hilliard that could add 20 full-time jobs. Touch Bionics’ key product is the I-Limb prosthetic hand, sales of which have exceeded the company’s expectations and made the U.S. the biggest market for product, according to state documents.
The Central Ohio grants approved this week were among more than $3 million the Controlling Board approved for a dozen projects statewide expected to create more than 400 jobs.

TechLife weekly update - 12.1.09 - Events, news, shoutouts

2009-12-01T06:55:00.000-05:00

I hope this message finds you well and you've recovered from your Turkey coma and Black Friday. Here's what we have this week.

Shout out to the best and brightest in Central Ohio technology - Check out the 2009 Innovation Award Semifinalists - 2009 Innovation Awards Semifinalists http://bit.ly/7tHhCu

Interested in a meetup topic but don't see it covered? Suggest it...Better yet host it..click here to suggest a meetup - http://bit.ly/5efJi8 .

We're looking for friendly community organizers to host tech networking meetups in your neighborhood (no experience necessary) - interested? send a note to benblanquera@gmail.com

Don't forget to sign up ITMartini 8 - "Ghosts of Projects Past" tomorrow night - http://bit.ly/L0yQZ - want to see who else is coming (515 registrants) - click here - http://bit.ly/1DCLPl - go to bottom of page

Developers - don't miss out on CodeMash on Jan 13-15 - Register before rooms run out http://bit.ly/5LYwl9

Upcoming Events:(click on the event for details) - the master calendar can be found at - http://bit.ly/bgyzj

For entrepreneurs and small business

Tech Networking and Coworking

12/10 - Jelly @ The DEC - http://bit.ly/5X2exF
12/17 - Jelly @ The DEC - http://bit.ly/5FkHiI

Technical Professional Development (Applications,Security,Development,)

Last weeks Headline in Columbus Technology:

Leading Casual Game Columbus Based Company Donates... - This Thanksgiving, FreshGames, a leading casual game company, is giving a portion of profits from sales of Ranch Rush, a popular casual farming game for Apple's iPhone, to Action Against Hunger, a global humanitarian group dedicated to saving the lives of malnourished children while providing communities with sustainable solutions to hunger. Thanks to FreshGames and Ranch Rush fans, more than $12,000 was raised for the organization.
A Day in the Life of an Entrepreneur
News from the Business Builders Club at Ohio State...
AEP wins stimulus funding for GridSmart - $75 Mill...
Ohio Fosters Career Development in Advanced Energy...
Reservoir VC fund aids California company
Netarx moving to Arena District
New Flex group in Columbus - check it out and join...
Shawn Morton - Social Media Director at Nationwide talks about Twitter
5 Startups demos featured at IT Martini Hour 8
Developers - don't miss out on CodeMash on Jan 13-...
TechLife LinkedIn Profile - R. Reade Harpham - ...
Shout out Columbus consultants - Maureen Metcalf &...

Offers and discounts:

Blue Jackets discounts - Hello Everyone! We're excited to offer you a special discount on Columbus Blue Jackets tickets! You and your families and friends will receive $10-$15 off per ticket on the season’s best games. To purchase tickets, just click on the link below and use the password/promotion code: Tech Individuals who have not previously purchased tickets will have to create an account before they have access to the discounts. Blue Jackets Discount Link--click here WE WILL EXTEND DISCOUNTED TICKET PRICES FOR ALL HOME GAMES. IF THERE IS A GAME YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THAT IS NOT LISTED, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR OFFICIAL BLUE JACKETS REPRESENTATIVE, EMILY STEWART @ 614.246.7293, AND SHE WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH THE DISCOUNTED TICKET RATE.

A Day in the Life of an Entrepreneur

2009-11-30T16:24:00.005-05:00

Hi there! My name is Kevin Uland; I am a 4th year student at The Ohio State University here in Columbus, a new associate of Social Boomerang and working part-time at the Dublin Entrepreneurial Center (DEC). As an aspiring entrepreneur, I feel lucky to spend time here at The DEC with successful startup companies, local business leaders, and witnessing inspiring developments. Just recently, I tagged along for a day with one of the newest tenants at the DEC, Andrew Spott, founder and owner of an up-and-coming integrated web agency named Vivid Front. I recorded my time with Andrew and decided to share my experience living the life of an entrepreneur at the DEC.

Although Andrew begins his day preparing like many other business leaders, his unique experience happens when he arrives at the DEC. Unlike many other offices, the DEC offers advantages for startup businesses, “The difference is in the people who work here,” Andrew says. When I asked him to name a unique feature of the DEC, Andrew replied, “The people here are building actual businesses, not just a lifestyle.”

During our interview, Andrew indicated he moved into his office on the 4th floor less than three weeks ago, but felt welcomed right away. “The tenants help support each other,” says Spott, when describing how Andrew Moon of Network Logix offered up an extra office desk at move-in.

According to Andrew, he is forming great partnerships with other tenants like Sandy Blanquera, also a DEC consultant. She introduced Andrew to new revenue and new partnership opportunities with a tenant just a few doors down. We also met with one of Andrew’s newest partnerships, Lori Crock, the founder and lead writer of WrittenImpact, “Lori has a good handle on things – the content she put together was spot-on, unique, and refined, which is what web content needs to be,” Spott stated in reference to Lori’s work.

After sitting down with Andrew and Lori, we were casually interrupted by Mike Bowers of the Small Business Development Center, as he asked for some help with web work and web advertising – two of Andrew’s strengths. So we headed over and joined Mike and a member of the DEC Virtual Community and business startup owner, Timecha Swain of Slapstik Entertainment. After receiving some insight from Andrew, Timecha replied, “You’ve been very helpful and have given me a lot of options to consider!” The DEC is an excellent resource for any business startup seeking professional help.

I observed as Andrew used Skype to communicate project details with employees, got advice from other business owners on chat and worked on a client project. I mentioned how the multi-tasking seemed effortless. Spott replied, “When you own your own business, you are always working, always communicating and always on.”

I also had a chance to join Andrew and Sandy in a meeting where they drafted some educational events for small business owners. Andrew will be conducting a few workshops on the use of Facebook pages, blogging and E-marketing for greater online exposure. “Connecting with customers has a viral nature. It’s important that everyone understands and utilizes this concept,” Andrew states. These events will be held at the DEC first quarter of 2010 and offered at no cost.

At the end of the day, I recounted the discussion and happenings: one free desk, a meeting with a new DEC partner, a meeting with a potential client, working on client projects and creating opportunities to give back to the small business community by hosting some training. All-in-all, it was an interesting day living the life of an entrepreneur out at the DEC. I could see the role the DEC plays in assisting small businesses succeed. I can’t wait to see what new opportunities lay ahead of me as I hang out here. Tune in for more later…Kevin Uland

News from the Business Builders Club at Ohio State University - 12/1/09 - Ray Bohac featured

2009-11-30T13:20:00.000-05:00

In This Issue

Also This Month:

Entrepreneurship Seminars

for Winter Quarter 2010

ARTSSCI 137.07 - Innovation & Entrepreneurship (Rocket Fuel for Creative Minds)

ARTSSCI 338.03 - Professional Pathways in Entrepreneurship

Tuesday Dec. 1st, 2009

Ray Bohac

Ray Bohac is the founder, president and CEO of CallCopy, Inc., one of the fastest-growing companies in the call recording and quality monitoring industry. It was Bohac’s vision that first identified the market opportunity, laid the plans for the development of the company’s solution suite, cc: Discover, and built the team to bring the product to market.
Prior to founding CallCopy, Bohac worked with multiple call recording systems while working for a global BPO/outsourcer. He recognized that of all the applications installed, none had the capacity to scale quickly and affordably to accommodate the changing needs of the clients. A market niche was identified, and Bohac began planning the development of cc: Discover. The end-user was a key consideration in every phase of design, and the finished product was an easy-to-use and feature-rich application.
CallCopy has seen tremendous growth since its inception in 2004. Unlike many small companies, CallCopy has achieved entirely organic growth with no outside investments, venture capital or debt. Because of its rapid growth, CallCopy was recently included in the 2009 Columbus Business First Fast Fifty list. In addition to its impressive expansion, CallCopy also takes pride in its people and products, winning both the 2008 Columbus Business First Best Place to Work award and the 2008 Product of the Year award from Technology Marketing Corporation (TMC).
Adding to his experience in corporate finance and business development, Bohac has extensive knowledge in IT systems administration and application programming, specifically within the realm of Computer-Telephony Integration (CTI). Bohac has been a featured speaker at various business and technology events
including the Ohio State Business Builders Club, TechColumbus and the PEP Talks. Bohac is also a founding member of Columbus TechLife, a grassroots group fostering greater culture and passion for social media, Internet, Web and other cutting-edge technology.

Fisher Business Plan team looking for help

We would like to design a company that focuses on employing members of the homeless population in Columbus, OH. We would take principals from the Fair Trade Business structure. The business would be using recycled materials that could create products that would be sold. Our business plan would include a ideas on how to employ homeless members of Columbus, how to design and build our products, the storefront in which they would be sold, and how to sell them.

Anyone interested in helping write a business plan for the following concept please contact

Nikki Modlich at modlich_5@fisher.osu.edu

Leading Casual Game Columbus Based Company Donates Portion of iPhone Game Profit this Holiday Season

2009-11-30T06:15:00.003-05:00

"Hit iPhone farming game, Ranch Rush, by FreshGames, helps Action Against Hunger with a significant donation for the Thanksgiving and holiday season"

COLUMBUS, OH, November 25, 2009 /24-7PressRelease/ -- This Thanksgiving, FreshGames, a leading casual game company, is giving a portion of profits from sales of Ranch Rush, a popular casual farming game for Apple's iPhone, to Action Against Hunger, a global humanitarian group dedicated to saving the lives of malnourished children while providing communities with sustainable solutions to hunger. Thanks to FreshGames and Ranch Rush fans, more than $12,000 was raised for the organization.

"Action Against Hunger is very pleased to benefit from Ranch Rush's iPhone profits," said Geoffrey M. Glick, Action Against Hunger's Director of External Relations. "Sustainable farming techniques are a key component of our programs to provide long-term food security to families around the world, so the relationship with Ranch Rush is a great fit. We're grateful for FreshGames' support and contribution to our organization."

Ranch Rush, developed by Columbus-based FreshGames, started as a smash hit for PCs and Macs and became the first time management iPhone farming game. The company wanted to offer fans of the game the opportunity to enjoy Ranch Rush while supporting an important cause.

"By donating 20% of each Ranch Rush game purchased on the iPhone, we were able to contribute a significant amount to support Action Against Hunger's programs in more than 40 countries," FreshGames President Stephan Smith said. "Ranch Rush gamers who purchased the game via the iPhone not only got their favorite game to play anywhere, but they also contributed to a worthy charity. We're thrilled to be a small part of a global cause for the less fortunate, especially during the Thanksgiving season."

FreshGames will be launching Ranch Rush 2 in the upcoming months, which is expected to be equally popular with gamers. The sequel promises a tropical farming adventure with plenty of new surprises.

For more information on Ranch Rush 2, and FreshGames, visit www.freshgames.com or www.ranchrush2.com.

About Action Against Hunger
Action Against Hunger | ACF-International is a global humanitarian organization committed to eliminating world hunger. Recognized as a leader in the fight against hunger and malnutrition, ACF works to save the lives of malnourished children while providing families with sustainable access to safe water and long-term solutions to hunger. Intervening in emergency situations of conflict, natural disaster, and chronic food insecurity, ACF has pursued its vision of a world without hunger for 30 years, assisting some five million people in more than 40 countries each year. For more information, please visit www.actionagainsthunger.org.

About FreshGames
FreshGames is a leading developer and global publisher of "casual games." Based in Columbus, Ohio, the company was formed in 2002 by industry gamers and veteran marketers with a shared vision to create cool interactive games to play over the Internet, through handheld devices and across multiple platforms. FreshGames has won multiple awards for its original "casual game" content, including Cubis , Word Mojo , ZenGems and Ranch Rush . Millions around the world have downloaded the company's games, which also appear on leading online portals such as Yahoo, MSN, RealArcade and BigFishGames, and through major retail stores both domestically and internationally. Its games also are available for multiple devices and platforms, from Palm , Pocket PC ,iPhone and iPod to online casinos and skills-based gaming sites. More information is available at www.freshgames.com.

AEP wins stimulus funding for GridSmart - $75 Million

2009-11-30T06:01:00.001-05:00

Source: Business First

The federal government has accepted American Electric Power Company Inc.’s bid for $75 million in stimulus funding, putting the company on track to begin rolling out its $150 million GridSmart initiative next month.
The Columbus-based utility’s AEP Ohio subsidiary on Tuesday afternoon will get word from the U.S. Department of Energy on the funding for GridSmart at a news conference scheduled at the company’s Dolan Technology Center in Groveport. AEP Ohio had applied this summer for stimulus funding aimed at companies that can demonstrate how so-called “smart grid” technology can boost the safety and reliability of energy nationwide through regional projects.

The Public Utilities Commission of Ohio in March cleared AEP to put $54.5 million toward the program and seek federal funding. AEP has said it will finance the remaining $20 million of the project not covered by its own spending or federal funds with the help of corporate partners that include Columbus-based research giant Battelle and General Electric Co. (NYSE:GE).
AEP’s GridSmart project is set to start in northeast Central Ohio next month with the installation of 110,000 “smart meters” at customers’ homes and businesses that allow greater control over use. GridSmart also plans to fund the testing of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and energy-efficient appliances with expectations for more than 500 new jobs created over three years as a result.
Beyond benefits for customers, the program also helps AEP keep in step with new state requirements. Through a comprehensive energy bill passed last year, AEP must cut its energy output by 0.3 percent this year and 0.5 percent in 2010. That cut increases incrementally over the next few decades to hit 22 percent in 2025.
“Not only will this project help us reduce the power that we need to generate, cut emissions and also delay the need to build generation, it will more importantly give customers the tools and information needed to use electricity more efficiently,” AEP Ohio President Joe Hamrock said in a release.
AEP (NYSE:AEP) delivers electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states, including about 1.5 million Ohio customers. The company last year earned $1.38 billion on $14.6 billion in revenue.

Ohio Fosters Career Development in Advanced Energy Sector

2009-11-30T05:59:00.001-05:00

Source: OhioMeansBusiness.com

What is a talented material science and engineering graduate to do in Ohio? Just ask Ryan Wayne. Ohio Third Frontier’s support of fuel cell technology helped him land a position researching fuel cells with the Case Advanced Power Institute at Case Western Reserve University, where he was working towards his master’s degree.
Ryan’s experience working with fuel cells as a graduate student eventually landed him a job as a scientist with GrafTech, a 120 year-old company located in Parma, Ohio that has recently transformed its business to accommodate the advanced energy industry of the 21st century. At GrafTech, Ryan develops components for fuel cells and other advanced electrochemical devices.
Recently, Ryan spoke with us about how Ohio Third Frontier, an unprecedented and bipartisan commitment to expand Ohio's technological strengths, helped launch his career. He said, “By supporting research in emerging fields and encouraging collaboration between Ohio’s universities and industry, Ohio Third Frontier creates employment opportunities for researchers on the leading edge of technology, helping reverse the brain drain from our state.”
Ryan believes that Ohio Third Frontier helps create high-tech, “green” manufacturing jobs by encouraging established companies to expand their operations into the advanced energy sector. Ultimately, Ryan told me that he believes that Ohio Third Frontier will be successful in its long-term mission to create the technology clusters that will establish Ohio as a world leader in advanced and renewable energy.
To read my full interview with Ryan, click here.